


Blaine, Interrupted

by Cousin Shelley (CousinShelley)



Series: Blangst for the Birthday Girl [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday Gift Fic, Blangst, Depression, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-19
Updated: 2012-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-19 14:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/574176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CousinShelley/pseuds/Cousin%20Shelley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine is in Lima, but Kurt's in New York and doesn't seem to mind the separation.</p><p>My daughter wanted people to write her angsty Blangst stories for her birthday this year. I wrote a few tailored to her tastes, but couldn't resist happy endings on a couple for my own sanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blaine, Interrupted

Blaine lay on his bed in pajamas he’d had on since Friday night, his hands together on his stomach, his slippers on the end of his bed where he’d kicked them off. He’d have to clean up and dress tomorrow for school, but it would have to wait. He intended to spend the whole Sunday doing exactly what he’d done since he’d gotten home from school on Friday—nothing.

He looked up at his light and realized he needed to take the globe down and clean the dead bugs out of it. Well, the dead _bug_ , or what could have passed for one. It was an indeterminate speck.

 _I could get up and clean that right now._ _I should._

He didn’t move. When his phone vibrated, he unlaced his fingers to grab it fast enough to pop a knuckle. Blaine sighed when he saw that it was a message from AT&T advertising a discount on an upgraded voice plan. He held his arm straight up in the air, flicked his wrist and sent the phone flying across the room.

 _Please don’t hit the mirror_ , he thought, immediately regretting his spontaneous toss. It buzzed with a new text, but he didn’t bother to get up. Probably another ad, or Rachel again. She’d been texting him all weekend, and a few times a night over the last week or two. He didn’t answer her until around 3 pm yesterday when she threatened to come over. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t enjoy a visit from Rachel almost any other time. But right now, Blaine didn’t and wouldn’t enjoy anything.

His head ached from crying. His stomach grumbled, but he didn’t want to get up to get something to eat or drink. He just wanted to lie there. Eventually, he’d fall asleep again, though he hadn’t been sleeping well, either.

Blaine’s door popped open, startling him into a sit-up. Cooper stood in his bedroom, hand still on the knob, and a look of horror on his face. He took off his jacket and tossed it over a chair, never looking away from Blaine.

“Oh my God,” Cooper said in an overly-dramatic voice, his hand moving to his chest. “Who are you and where is my brother?”

Blaine smiled, happy to see him despite the subtle insult. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed to stand, but Cooper rushed to him. “No, no, don’t get up.” Cooper lifted his legs back up on the bed so quickly Blaine’s head thumped down on his pillow. “You look terrible.”

“Hey, thanks, bro. I’m so glad I can always count on you for encouragement.”

“Do you have some terrible disease, Blaine?” Cooper asked, wide-eyed. He put his hand on Blaine’s forehead. “Did your dog just die? Are they closing Broadway forever?” His hand slid over Blaine’s hair, ruffling the curls that had been there, uncombed, since he’d showered Friday night. Cooper ran his fingers into the spirals, looking amazed. “Did they discontinue Vitalis, or recall your favorite brand of sweater vests, or outlaw high-water pants? What is with _this_?” he asked, tugging lightly on Blaine’s hair to make a point at first, and then because his fingers were genuinely caught.  

“Ow, knock it off,” Blaine said, swatting his hand away. “I’m happy to see you, too.” He put his hands back on his stomach and stared at that dirty light shade. “Do you think that’s a bug? A fly, maybe?” Why did everything seem tarnished or dirty right now? Everything.

Cooper looked up and sighed. “Whatever it is, it’s dead. I think you’re safe, bud.”

Blaine closed his eyes. “Back in town, huh? I’m surprised you didn’t call? I’d have—”

“Greased your head?”

It was Blaine’s turn to sigh. “Something like that.”

“I wasn’t planning to come, but I was worried. And it looks like I had reason to be. Got here in the nick of time, before your hair takes over the town. Has anyone gone missing yet? Lost pets or … busses full of schoolchildren?”

Blaine snapped his eyes open and glared at him. “Worried about what, Cooper?”

“Aside from _The Attack of the Incredible, Hungry Hair_? You. You’ve missed two days of school this month.”

“Didn’t feel good.” Blaine tilted his head a little and chewed the inside of his cheek.

“You haven’t worn a bow in a while. And last week? Your shoes were scuffed two days in a row.”

 

Blaine sat up, shaking his head. “Do you have a spy at McKinley now? A direct line to the attendance and fashion offenses department?”

Cooper smirked, then jumped on top of Blaine, straddling his waist and pushing him down by grabbing his hands. Blaine struggled a little, but it was half-hearted. He looked up at his brother, surprised at how happy he was to see him despite how irritated he felt. He only wished it hadn’t been right _now_.

“Look, little brother. You’re not yourself. And Rachel’s messages explaining this to me are all so long and detailed that my phone goes for fifteen minutes at a time with just. One. Text. This has to stop.”

Blaine laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Sorry for inconveniencing your phone.”

“Hey!” Cooper said. Blaine looked at him, turning serious as he saw the genuine worry in Cooper’s eyes, and the nervousness there. Cooper spoke more softly. “ _Hey_. You know I’m kidding. I’m worried about you. And I’m not moving from this spot until you tell me what’s going on.”

Blaine swallowed hard. Cooper had come all this way unannounced because he was worried? “You _are_ aware that I could knock you off pretty easily?”

“Yeah, I know. I was hoping you were too weak with hunger to try.”

Blaine smiled, but it didn’t last long. Cooper moved and sat next to him, pulling Blaine up and into a hug. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah,” was all Blaine said for a long time.

###

Blaine had brought a backpack with what he needed to spend the night, just in case. He had no idea what Kurt’s plans might be, so he didn’t get his hopes up. He just wanted to be prepared. Hopefully, they could at least have dinner and some time alone, even if he needed to take the train back later.

He knew Kurt’s schedule pretty well, thanks to tons of texts, phone calls and Skype conversations over the first semester Kurt was in New York. They’d talked every day at least once no matter what they had going on or how tired one or both might be. Even if they only had five minutes, just hearing _I love you_ and a sentence or two about each other’s day had been what they both needed.  

Christmas had been fantastic with Kurt home for a while, but as January dragged on, things changed. Because of commitments each hand in early February, they hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks. They hadn’t Skyped in a couple. A quick text or two through the day and only one brief phone call in that time was all that had happened between them.

Instead of letting his fears about losing Kurt get to him, Blaine decided to take action. He told Kurt that he’d have to miss one more weekend, and planned to surprise him instead. When he’d told Kurt that it would be another week before they could see each other, he had taken it well. Too well. He hadn’t sounded bothered at all. Blaine told himself that it didn’t matter. He was probably busy and not really processing what he’d said. 

So he headed to New York that Saturday, ready to surprise him at The Big Frapple, a coffeehouse frequented by local college students. Apparently, Kurt went there on Saturdays for a 2 pm coffee and some chatting with friends. Usually, Kurt texted him while he was there, letting him share in the funny things that were being said and making him feel like he was at least a small part of things. He hadn’t done that in two weeks.

Blaine stayed across the street on the opposite side of the coffeehouse that Kurt would approach coming from home. He felt daring, like a spy, trying to look for Kurt without being seen first. Blaine beamed when he saw his boyfriend, a shimmery, pale-blue scarf trailing behind him in the breeze.

 _Your ears are going to freeze. Fashion over function—that’s my boy_. He laughed, only feeling a little awkward at the strange look a passing woman gave him. He moved back against the building, watching Kurt for a moment. He’d wait until he went in and got settled, give him a few minutes, then surprise him.

Kurt didn’t go in, though. He looked around, chewing his lip. Kurt looked across the street, but foot traffic kept Blaine from being discovered. Then Kurt’s face broke out into a beautiful smile. Another boy bounced across the street toward him and hugged him. Hugged him. A blond, bespectacled, smiling boy just bounced up to Kurt and _hugged_ him. And then they went into The Big Frapple, their arms touching as they talked, plumes of their breath floated behind.

 

Blaine stood there for a long time, until the tip of his nose went numb from the cold. He went into the diner behind him and sat at a table that gave him a view of the coffeehouse door. He ordered coffee, and added a piece of pie when the waitress frowned at him.

Blaine put his phone on the table directly in front of him and waited, ignoring the pie and only sipping the coffee because he was cold. He looked from his phone to the coffeehouse. Finally, he texted Kurt.

_Haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s up, sweetheart?_

 

Ten minutes passed before the reply came. _Napping a lot at home today. A little under the weather. Love you!_

Blaine stared at it a long time before he turned his phone off and put it in his pocket. He stared out the window so intently the waitress had to touch his shoulder to see if he needed a refill. He didn’t.

Then he saw them in the doorway, coming back out into the cold. Blaine moved to the door of the diner but didn’t step completely out. He opened it enough to hear them laughing. The blond boy started across the street.

 _How bad can it be?_ Blaine asked himself. _They’re going opposite directions. It was just coffee…._

“Chandler!” Kurt called out to the blond boy before he got even halfway across. Kurt waved him back. They stood talking for a few more minutes, then headed off together in the direction Kurt had arrived from earlier.

 _Chandler_.

It could be pretty bad.

###

“Wow,” Cooper said, leaning on his elbow where he was stretched out on Blaine’s bed. Blaine sat cross-legged in front of him, occasionally wiping his eyes with a tissue.

“Yes, wow,” Blaine said in a shaky voice. “I mean … how. Why?”

“You never told him you were there?”

Blaine shook his head. “He’s texted me a few times about music, and how excited he will be to see me next Saturday.”

“And you don’t believe him?”

Blaine shrugged. “What would you think? This is Chandler, the one whose compliments made him feel good, Chandler who he flirted with via text behind my back. Cheating.”

Cooper shoved his knee. “But they never … _you know_.”

“No!” Blaine said. “God, no. Just flirting. But it was still cheat—”

“No, no it’s not. When your girlfriend gets caught sleeping with the guy who just got the part you were supposed to have? That’s cheating,” he said, finger in the air. “Some flirty texts are just flirty texts. And coffee is just coffee. And this might not be what you think, either. Studying. A movie. People do these things together all without romantic ties, Blaine.”

Blaine shrugged and made a sobbing noise. “Then why lie? And why doesn’t he call me or text or Skype or—or send some kind of a smoke signal? I’m losing him.”

“Hmmaybe. But probably not. If you do lose him, it’s your own fault.” Cooper raised his eyebrows and threw himself onto his back.

“How do you figure that? He’s there with new people and new things and _New York_ … I’m here, without him. How—”

“You’re rolling over, buddy.” His voice went high-pitched. “ _Ooooh, Chandler and his blondness must have charmed my excruciatingly well-dressed boyfriend … I guess I’ll just lie in bed doing nothing, oh my goodness I have a bug in my light fixture, boo hoo_ … .”

Blaine stood up and cocked his head. “So you’re _mocking_ me? Seriously?”

“You deserve it. You love Kurt so much … you’re giving up at the first sight of some dude named Chandler? Really? I mean, _Chandler_? What kind of a name is that?”

Blaine put his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. “I don’t think people named Blaine and Cooper really have any ground to stand on there.”

“You could beat him up. Send your hair to break his legs—it could do it.” Cooper hopped up and slapped Blaine lightly on the cheek. “Put the fear into him.” He slapped Blaine again, a little harder.

“No, I’m not going to beat—knock it off.”

“Make me.” Cooper shoved his shoulder.

“Cooper, I’m not in the mood—”

Cooper shoved Blaine’s shoulder enough to force him to step backwards or fall. Blaine’s eyes went wide, then he slammed forward into his brother, knocking him backward onto the bed and pinning him down by his shoulders.

“Gosh … _darn_ it!” Blaine said. “Knock it _off_.”

Cooper put his hands up in defeat. “I give! Uncle!” He laughed. “I was only _acting_. I wanted to see the fighter I knew was in there. And here he is. Him … and all that hair.”

Blaine sat up straighter, then grunted when Cooper shoved him off and bounced to his feet, making boxing moves. “This is you, Blaine, not the lie-in-bed-and-mope blubberbox that was here a couple of hours ago. You’re a fighter, remember? So fight for him. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t try.”

“Blubberbox?”

“You know what I mean. Sounds better than crybaby, doesn’t it? Let’s find your hair gel and hit the road.”

Blaine shook his head and waved his hands in front of himself. “Oh, no. I’m not going back there.”

“You are.”

“No. Cooper, all this time in New York and he’s never even mentioned Chandler to me by name. Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”

“I’m a deep thinker. _Everything_ seems suspicious to me, Blaine. Cheese—some cheese is suspicious if you really look hard enough. But the least you can do is ask the guy straight up what’s going on before you decide he’s moved on.”

Blaine hesitated, knowing that what his brother said made a lot of sense—but then it did come from his brother, and that was probably reason enough to hesitate no matter how reasonable it sounded.

Cooper tapped his chin, as if in deep thought. “Unless you’re the one who’s tired of him.”

Blaine put his hand on his own chest. “I _love_ Kurt.”

“Then we’re decided. Take a shower, oil the hydra,” he said, patting the springy curls on top of Blaine’s head, “and let’s go!”

“But it takes so long, and I don’t even know if there’s a train—”

“I already bought tickets for a flight out of Dayton. An hour or so to drive there, a couple hours between boarding and the actual flight … plenty of time left to set things right and still get home tonight.”

“You already bought us tickets? How did you know I’d even agree to go.”

“I knew I could charm you.” Cooper lightly punched Blaine’s upper arm. “Seriously, they’re not refundable. Come on … .”

Blaine shrugged and squinted. “I don’t know. What if—”

“God, you’re stubborn!” Cooper looked at something over Blaine’s shoulder. Blaine realized too late what it was, as Cooper dove for his phone in the corner. “If you’re not going to do something about this, I am.”

Blaine watched his brother pushing buttons. “What are—”

“If you’re going to be this miserable, little brother, time to cut Kurt loose. I’m doing it for you. You’ll thank me later.”

“Hey, no!”

“Just a quick text and the pain’s in the past.” He held the phone up in the air, but had to keep jumping and wrestling with Blaine to keep him from grabbing the phone. “It was fun, but clearly you’ve moved on with Chandler,” Cooper said as he thumbed keys. “I’m sorry it’s over. Goodbye.”

“No, Cooper! Don’t you dare, _please_!”

Cooper made a dramatic punch with his thumb. “Sent.” He handed the phone to Blaine.

“Oh my God, you didn’t! How could you … .” Blaine was on the verge of tears, his hands shaking. He frantically brought up the sent texts to find that Cooper had sent _I luv u n cant wait 2 c u Satturday, myt swet honeybunchess of oats._

Blaine looked at his brother, mouth open.

“I was _acting_ again. See how upset you were when you thought it could really be over? You don’t want that, so don’t let it happen. Stop beating around the bush and go after the boy.”

Blaine’s phone buzzed. Cooper nodded, hands on hips. “See. Working my magic.”

Blaine couldn’t help his smile, even as completely off-kilter as he felt. He had the number of everyone in the glee club in his phone—they all did—to make it easy to coordinate rehearsals. Mr. Schue had even provided text-only phones for a couple of kids who didn’t have their own. Cooper had texted the wrong person.

“Your magic could use a little practice,” Blaine said. “Puck says I’ve killed breakfast.”

Cooper shrugged. “Eh, you win some, you lose some.” He clapped Blaine on the back. “Wash. Oil. New York.” He moved his hands as if they held a steering wheel and drove himself out of Blaine’s bedroom making motorboat noises.

###

The closer they got to New York, the more nervous and defeated Blaine felt. Every time Cooper looked at him, pumped his fist and said, “Fightin’ for your man, yeah,” and winked at him, Blaine wanted to throw up. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate what his brother was doing. But fighting for your man was all well and good—until it turned out your man wanted someone else.

Why else would he lie about being ill at home when he was with _Chandler_. With a little grunt, Blaine decided that it really was a stupid name after all.

He’d changed his whole life to be with Kurt every day. Left the Warblers, changed schools. And this one person complimenting him was all it took to destroy all that? No. There was no point in thinking this when he didn’t know the truth.

“The truth,” Blaine said sadly.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

Cooper put his finger in the air and said in a stately voice, “The truth shall set you free.”

Blaine shrugged. “Set me free … or make me want to set myself on fire.”

“Oh, man, I thought sure you were going to quote from _A Few Good Men_ —‘I can’t _handle_ the truth.’” He said the last in a decent impression of Jack Nicholson from the film—with the appropriate volume.

“Shh, people are staring!” Blaine shrunk down in his seat a little. “And I’m not sure I _can_ handle it.”

“They probably just recognize me, it’s okay.” Cooper smiled at him, and despite himself, Blaine smiled back. “And you’ll handle it. No matter what it is, I’ll be there to make sure of it.” His shoulder bumped Blaine’s.

“So your girlfriend slept with your rival, huh?” Blaine asked after a while.

“Dumped me for him. It’s okay. She was holding me back.” Cooper winked at Blaine.

“I should call Kurt or something. I don’t know if he’ll be out or—”

“Big brother took care of that.”

“What did you do?” Blaine asked, his voice more accusing than he’d meant.

“A big favor for you. I let Kurt know that I was flying in and would love to have coffee with him.”

“When did you do that?”

“While you made your head nice and shiny.” Cooper grinned, all his teeth showing. “We’re meeting at on of their rehearsal halls so he can show me something first. He’s quite excited about something he’s been working on. And, dare I say, excited to see _me_.”

Blaine snorted. “Of course he is. Everybody’s excited to see you, Cooper. Did he even ask about me?”

Cooper hesitated, his expression one of serious thinking. “Not exactly.”

Blaine felt himself getting even smaller in his seat. “Great.” After a moment, he asked, “What does not exactly mean?”

“He mentioned that you were coming Saturday, but he didn’t ask me anything.”

“Did he at least sound excited that I’d be there Saturday.”

“Yes! Yes he did,” Cooper said. The captain came on the speaker, so Blaine used the landing time to think about what he would say to Kurt and how he would say it, no matter what the truth was. He needed to be prepared for any outcome.

Blaine was a bigger wreck when they got out of the airport than he was before they’d left. They got lost looking for the place, and he secretly hoped they didn’t find it so he could go back home and show up next Saturday, pretending everything was okay. Maybe if he pretended hard enough it would be true?

When their cab pulled up in front of the rehearsal studio, Cooper was on the passenger side of the car. Kurt saw him first. His face lit up and he bounced on his toes. Traffic wasn’t letting Blaine get out his side safely, so he slid out behind his brother. Kurt’s beaming smile fell.

“Blaine! You’re … _here_!”

Kurt was trying so hard to keep smiling it was painful for Blaine to watch. “I am,” he said forcing a smile of his own. Kurt started toward him, lifting his arms obviously to hug him, when another person came running out of the doorway of the hall.

“Mr. Anderson, I’ve heard so much about you … .”

Blaine only heard that much, because he realized it was Chandler. _Chandler_. There, waiting with Kurt to meet Cooper. Cooper shook the boy’s hand and turned to look at Blaine with a concerned expression. Kurt stopped before he hugged Blaine—his hands were on Blaine’s shoulders—and looked back at Chandler.

“Look, Chandler. It’s Blaine. My boyfriend.” More forced smiling.

When all eyes turned to look at Blaine, he smiled sadly and shook his head. He pulled away from Kurt and turned, not sure where he was going, only knowing he needed to get away from all this.

“Blaine, where are you going?”

He turned when Kurt called out to him, fighting tears. “I don’t know. Home.” He turned back toward the road. Several things happened very fast. He heard a horn, heard Cooper shout his name at the same time Kurt did, then felt hands yanking him backward.

“Son of a bitch!” a cabbie yelled, opening his door and shaking his fist in Blaine’s direction. “Pay attention … get yourself killed … damn tourists … .”

Cooper’s arms were around him from behind, holding him there on the curb. Then Kurt was turning him—Kurt with tears in his eyes, scared—putting his hands on Blaine’s face.

“Oh my God, what are you doing? Where—” Kurt threw his arms around Blaine’s neck and whispered into his ear. “Where are you going?”

Blaine managed to put his arms around Kurt’s waist. He held him, still fighting tears, just wishing that Chandler and New York and the rest of it would go away for a while so it could just be the two of them. He knew he wished for something that would never be, and that made it harder for him to keep it together.

Cooper spoke first. “Kurt? I think maybe you should come clean.”

“Yeah,” Kurt whispered in Blaine’s ear.

_Oh God, this is it. He’s going to tell me that he and—_

“Chandler,” Kurt said, finally loosening his hold around Blaine’s neck. “This is Blaine, the love of my life. Blaine, this is Chandler. Yes, _that_ Chandler, but he’s gotten over his crush. He’s a friend.” He smiled a little. “His boyfriend’s inside.”

“His boyfriend?”

“They make a great team. Chandler writes lyrics, Darren composes the music . .  . and I sing. We’ve been working together for a few weeks now … on a surprise for you. We were going to show Cooper, and perform it for you on Saturday.”

Blaine didn’t miss that Kurt had introduced him as the love of his life. But things still weren’t clear. “You wrote me a song?”

Kurt nodded. “I wanted it to be special. There are already so many songs to choose from, but none that say exactly what I want to say.”

Blaine let his forehead rest against Kurt’s. “I love that you wrote a special song for me, but … when you stopped texting and calling … and then, last week … I went to the coffeehouse and saw you and Chandler … you said you were at home … .”

“Oh, Blaine. You must have thought … .” Kurt’s looked him in the eyes as he took his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lied, but were discussing your song and making some final tweaks …  and I was feeling all secretive and espionagey. It was a lie like the kind you tell when you’re throwing someone a surprise party—I wish you’d have said something. I’m so sorry I gave you the wrong impression. I’ve been working on this for you every day, you’ve been on my mind all the time. I’ve been all wrapped up in it, but not expressing myself the way I should. I guess I didn’t realize that it was such a one-sided kind of attention.”

Blaine said it plainly. “I thought you’d moved on to someone else, and when I saw you and Chandler … .” He swallowed hard.

“I’m so sorry. You had every reason to wonder, and I could kick myself for not seeing it before.” Kurt raised his eyebrows and said, “I only hesitated seeing you today because I wanted to see what Cooper thought before surprising you Saturday. I’m such a… maybe it would help if you’d come inside and listen to the song?”

Blaine nodded and let himself be led in, Kurt pulling him by the hand. He sat next to Cooper, who looked entirely too pleased with himself, as usual. When Kurt took the stage, he smoothed down his clothes and cleared his throat.

“Just remember that we didn’t expect to do this until Saturday, so the premiere is actually kind of the dry run. Okay? Okay.” He nodded at the boy who must have been Darren, Chandler’s boyfriend— _thank you thank you thank you_ —and the music started.

The tune was beautiful, Kurt was stunning—as usual—but the words. The words had Blaine in tears by the second chorus. Kurt sang about how hard it had been to only see him once a week, and then even less. How he’d taken him for granted when they saw each other every day, and how he’d never do that again. How happy he was that the summer was approaching and they could be together again.

It was the most wonderful song Blaine had ever heard. As Kurt sang the finale, he made his way to Blaine’s seat in the front row, put his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and sat in lap, singing about how he wanted them to live together when Blaine came to New York.

Kurt wiped tears from Blaine’s cheek with his fingers as the music died down. Once Cooper stopped clapping and whistling, Kurt said, “So what do you think? I’ll come home to visit in the beginning of the summer, and then … you come back with me to New York, move in…  for good. Think you can stand to co-habitate with me?”

Blaine smiled, then laughed a little. He looked into Kurt’s eyes, the relief at everything being okay—more than okay—almost overwhelming. “Can I _stand_ it?”

Cooper leaned toward them. “I’m thinking you can. Just keep his shoe polish and your hair gel clearly labeled at all times, and everything should be okay.”

Blaine laughed again, then nodded. “Oh, I can stand it. I can’t _wait_.” He kissed Kurt, only barely hearing Chandler’s and Darren’s cheers and Cooper’s happy cry of _I am so awesome._


End file.
